Inappropriate nurse support groups

Nurses Recovery

Published

I'm not sure how comfortable I am in my nurse support group. It feels like it's a group therapy session and for me and that is not what I need from this program. I chose it based on proximity to home but I dread going. Just wanted to vent anonymously. Not comfortable bringing it up to the facilitator or the case manager.

Cheez and rice!!!!! So you're like paying the facilitator for a coffee klatch that they don't even have to come to? That's lovely. Figures....cue audible eye roll.....

Yep, ain't it grand?! Not

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My facilitator is a certified addiction counselor (or whatever) but also a TPAPN advocate and a recovering addict himself. So not only does he offer great insight, he doesn't charge! He does it because he loves to help fellow addicts. I never knew that other nurse support groups charge a fee until I read about it on here, since the topic of having to pay just isn't an issue in my group. Also, nurse support group is not required in TPAPN. We have to do 4 AA/NA meetings a week, and if we want to we can choose to substitute the nurse support group for one of our 4 meetings. So the fact that I'm not forced to go, it's voluntary in TPAPN, plus I don't have to pay, certainly allows me to enjoy it much more!

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Specializes in OR.

Ours are not only required by the contract, there is a charge for them. Said charge goes to the facilitator and varies by group. It seems to be most commonly about $50 or so a month. Theoretically, i think it goes for the cost of wherever the group is held (church meeting room or wherever). Doing a little math, with it being $50 a head, say conservatively 8 heads a group, if facilitator only runs one group, (some do more)...that's $400 a month. I doubt a room rental for an hour a week is that high. There's some $$ to be made there. Plus there's a quarterly report to the program that the facilitator has to do. As far as I know it's just a yes/no on attendance and participation and I suppose if there are any concerns.

Even though it is supposed to be what is said in group stays in group and that ideal can certainly be appreciated, I have a such difficult time trusting anyone and anything associated with this stuff (gee, can't imagine why? )that I am not likely to say a lot about what is really going on in my life so therefore the whole experience is not going to be something that I am going to find much support in, I am sorry to say.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
I'm attending because I am forced to attend to remain in compliance. In the end I take what I can from them and move on. I'm 4 years into the program but some of the topics and details shared and pried from participants I feel are inappropriate.

Does the facilitator do things that are inappropriate? What kind of things?

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Does the facilitator do things that are inappropriate? What kind of things?

Sorry, had replied to this but it never posted! The facilitator was inquiring about psych medications some of the participants were on and if a participant had said something like "oh, I'm going to see this psychiatrist on Thursday" the following week it would be brought up. I suppose that's where the conversation was going but it just seemed odd to me. I have since gone to a different meeting and the dynamics are different.

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I play on my phone in 12 step meetings and the idiotic nurse support group meeting. When forced to attend "group support" or 12 step meetings you have no interest in smartphones are useful to have. At least at the 12 step meetings people are honestly trying to recover from substance abuse issues for the most part. The support group meetings are just gab-a-thons that have often drifted into such subjects as pets and cake recipes. Total waste of time & it cost me $25 to boot

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My old group was tolerable and it was just a social hour. I miss them. This new one is twice as long and I drive an hour just to get there, pay someone to host it, and get nothing from it. Oh well. I don't think cell phones would fly at this meeting.

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Yeah social hour is a good way of putting it I suppose. I just don't care about the subjects or the individual stories about everything in life from A-Z. I think its amazing that we have to pay to listen to what amounts to a bunch of nurses gabbing about whatever. I get enough of that dreck at the nurse's station at work

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I'm forced to go as well. I do not trust anyone affiliated with the "monitoring program", so I don't share anything personal and there's nothing wrong with that. Just say "Everything's fine" and leave it at that if you're uncomfortable.

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Specializes in ED, Transplant.

Considering I am forced to go to meetings that don't do anything for me, I thought I would try out a local nurse support group...better fitting for my situation, right??? Wrong! There was about 10 people in the meeting, not a single person introduce themselves or talked to me, the entire hour was multiple conversations going on in the group, nothing beneficial...I was disappointed! Another meeting that is not for me!

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Yeah I had my nurse support group meeting tonight. These groups that are put together with people who are essentially forced to be there are doomed to failure. The topic tonight at out meeting was how many nurses would keep attending 12 step meetings after they were released from monitoring. Not a single nurse said they would keep going when not forced to do so. What a colossal farce and waste of time

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